SMART LOAD CENTER™
Your home is using power in more ways than ever.
Solar, batteries, EV chargers, generators, heat pumps, and utility programs all create new decisions about what should run, when it should run, and what matters most. The Smart Load Center helps manage those decisions with smarter circuit-level control.
The Smart Load Center is designed for homes where energy needs are changing. Use the sections below to explore how it can help with solar and backup power, EV charging and high-demand appliances, smarter energy control, and new construction or retrofit projects.
Start with the category that sounds most like your project. Then select a use case to see what the SLC does, what it means for your home, and how an installer may use it in your system design.
SOLAR AND BACKUP POWER (7 use cases)
EV CHARGING AND HIGH-DEMAND APPLIANCES (5 use cases)
SMART CONTROL AND ENERGY SAVINGS (7 use cases)
NEW CONSTRUCTION AND RETROFIT (2 use cases)
1. Solar When Export Rules Are Limited
For homes where the utility limits solar export back to the grid. The SLC helps keep that production working inside the home.
WHAT THE SLC DOES
- Coordinates flexible circuits to use solar production inside the home first.
- Helps maintain a zero-export or limited-export profile within utility rules.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU
Going solar can still make sense even where export rules are strict, because more production stays and works inside your home.
Working with an installer? Use this when utility export rules, NEM 3.0 economics, or interconnection limits are part of the project conversation.
2. Solar + Grid
For homes with rooftop solar that want more value from every panel by using production inside the home before defaulting to the grid.
WHAT THE SLC DOES
- Tracks source availability and home load conditions at the circuit level.
- Keeps controllable loads aligned with solar production and panel capacity.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU
More of your solar production goes to work inside your home rather than being exported at a lower rate.
Working with an installer? Use this when the homeowner wants to improve self-consumption or has questions about panel capacity and load management.
3. Solar + Battery
For homes adding battery storage where all-or-nothing backup may not be the right fit.
WHAT THE SLC DOES
- Prioritizes the circuits that matter most during outages or peak-price windows.
- Coordinates battery use with solar production and household demand.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU
Your battery can support the right loads longer because available energy is focused where it matters most.
Working with an installer? Use this when load prioritization changes the battery sizing conversation.
4. Small Battery, Bigger Impact
For homes that want backup power but do not need, or do not want to invest in, a large battery. Smart load management changes what a smaller system can do.
WHAT THE SLC DOES
- Uses circuit prioritization to avoid spending stored energy on low-priority loads.
- Rebalances priorities automatically as home conditions and battery state change.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU
A smaller, more affordable battery can deliver more useful backup because the SLC directs energy toward what matters most.
Working with an installer? Use this when battery budget is a constraint, to shift the conversation from size to smart management.
5. Solar + Generator
For homes with both a generator and solar that need smarter coordination during an outage.
WHAT THE SLC DOES
- Helps manage high-demand loads while generator capacity is limited.
- Maintains priority circuits and reconnects flexible loads when it is safe to do so.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU
Your home can stay more comfortable through longer outages, with less strain on the generator.
Working with an installer? Use this when the homeowner has an existing generator and wants to add solar or battery without a complicated transfer switch setup.
6. Selective Backup
For homes that want to choose which circuits to protect during an outage rather than backing up everything at the cost of battery runtime.
WHAT THE SLC DOES
- Creates priority groups for essential, comfort, and flexible loads.
- Reduces power to nonessential circuits automatically when backup capacity is tight.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU
Backup power can last longer and support the appliances that matter most, such as the refrigerator, HVAC, or medical equipment.
Working with an installer? Use this when the homeowner wants specific circuits protected rather than whole-home backup.
7. Daytime Solar Backup
For homes with solar that want to use daytime production to support selected loads, even without significant battery storage.
WHAT THE SLC DOES
- Matches controllable circuits to real-time solar availability.
- Keeps essential daytime circuits prioritized when production is limited.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU
Daytime sunlight can go to work even during outages or high-rate windows, without relying solely on stored energy.
Working with an installer? Use this when the homeowner has solar but limited storage, or when they are deciding whether to add a battery.
8. Adding More Electric Appliances
For homes adding EV chargers, heat pumps, induction cooking, electric water heating, or other high-demand appliances. Sometimes called whole-home electrification, this shift means the home needs a smarter way to manage when major loads run.
WHAT THE SLC DOES
- Helps manage high-demand circuits so they do not all run at once.
- Supports better planning for EVs, heat pumps, and other electric upgrades.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU
You can add more electric appliances with better control over how those loads affect the rest of the home, and smart load management may help avoid or defer a costly electrical service upgrade, depending on your home’s electrical situation.
Working with an installer? Use this when the homeowner is adding multiple electric loads and needs to understand how the panel can help manage demand.
9. EV Charging Management
For homes adding EV charging where panel capacity, peak demand, or rate timing may be a concern.
WHAT THE SLC DOES
- Pauses or schedules charging when the home is near a demand threshold.
- Can support charging during lower-cost or solar-production windows when available.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU
Charging at home can become more practical, with smarter control over when and how that load runs. In some homes, smart load management may also help avoid or defer a costly electrical service upgrade, depending on the home’s electrical situation.
Working with an installer? Focus on smarter load management rather than specific outcomes. Results depend on the home’s electrical situation and utility rates.
10. Heat Pump Optimization
For homes with heat pumps where heating and cooling creates demand spikes, or where the homeowner wants to coordinate HVAC with solar or rate schedules.
WHAT THE SLC DOES
- Helps coordinate compressor-heavy loads with the rest of the home’s demand profile.
- Supports configurable comfort and priority rules year-round.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU
Year-round comfort with better awareness and control over demand, which may help reduce unexpected utility charges.
Working with an installer? Use this when heat pump load is a primary driver of peak demand, or when the homeowner is replacing gas heating.
11. Water Heater Control
For homes with electric water heaters that can be scheduled to run at lower-cost times without affecting daily routine.
WHAT THE SLC DOES
- Schedules water heating during preferred low-cost or solar-rich windows.
- Reduces or delays operation during constrained or high-cost periods.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU
One of your home’s larger energy loads can run at better times with no change to your daily routine.
Working with an installer? A practical use case to explain in homeowner proposals, especially in TOU markets and solar installations.
12. Pool Pump Scheduling
For homes with pools where scheduling the pump around rates or solar production may help reduce cost.
WHAT THE SLC DOES
- Schedules pump operation for lower-rate or solar-production windows.
- Can reduce pump load during outage or utility event conditions.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU
Pool operation can run at better times, which may help reduce peak demand and energy cost without changing water quality or routine.
Working with an installer? Most useful in TOU markets and high solar-penetration areas.
13. Circuit Prioritization
For homes that want the panel to know which circuits matter most so it can protect, pause, or restore them based on conditions, without requiring manual management.
WHAT THE SLC DOES
- Stores priority levels for essential, comfort, and flexible loads.
- Applies those priorities automatically during constraints or events.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU
Your home responds to changing conditions based on what you have told it matters, without requiring manual circuit management.
Working with an installer? This is the foundational setup conversation for nearly every other use case.
14. Automatically Pausing Lower-Priority Loads
For homes that need automatic load control when demand approaches a configured limit or backup threshold.
WHAT THE SLC DOES
- Monitors demand and available source capacity in real time.
- Reduces power to lower-priority circuits before limits are exceeded, and restores them when capacity returns.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU
Your home can operate within configured limits automatically, without anyone managing circuits by hand.
Working with an installer? Use this when the homeowner has a battery, generator, or limited grid capacity.
15. Running Loads When Power Costs Less
For homes on time-of-use utility rates where flexible loads can be shifted away from more expensive peak windows.
WHAT THE SLC DOES
- Applies schedule-based rules to controllable circuits.
- Can coordinate EV charging, water heating, and other flexible loads to run at lower-cost times.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU
Potentially lower bills with less manual effort, because flexible loads can run when rates are lower rather than whenever they happen to turn on.
Working with an installer? Most relevant in TOU markets. Works well alongside solar and battery scenarios.
16. Real-Time Monitoring
For homes where the homeowner wants to see which circuits are using energy and where opportunities for better control may exist.
WHAT THE SLC DOES
- Surfaces circuit-level consumption patterns through the app.
- Highlights peak demand contributors and flexible-load opportunities.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU
Your electrical panel becomes a source of information rather than a passive system you only notice when something trips.
Working with an installer? Homeowners who engage with monitoring tend to stay engaged with their energy system over time.
17. Remote Control
For homes where the homeowner wants to adjust priorities, schedules, or loads from a connected app rather than from the panel itself.
WHAT THE SLC DOES
- Lets users adjust priorities, schedules, and controllable loads remotely.
- Allows the installer to provide remote support when needed.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU
You can respond to changing home energy conditions from wherever you are, without needing to be on-site.
Working with an installer? Remote access can support faster responses to homeowner questions without a site visit.
18. Utility Programs and Grid Support
For homes that may want to participate in utility demand-response or virtual power plant programs when those are available in their area.
WHAT THE SLC DOES
- Can respond to utility event signals with preconfigured load-control strategies.
- Maintains household priorities while reducing or shifting demand during events.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU
When utility programs are available, the SLC can help your home participate with less disruption to daily life, and homeowners may be able to earn bill credits where those programs are offered.
Working with an installer? Program availability varies by market. Worth mentioning as a future benefit even when no specific program is active.
19. Connecting to Utility Energy Programs
For homes that want to be better positioned for rebate and incentive programs when those programs are available.
WHAT THE SLC DOES
- Supports enrollment in utility rebate and incentive programs when available.
- Provides control intelligence that may support utility program participation, depending on the utility and program requirements.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU
When incentives are available, built-in intelligence can make participation easier because the SLC is already designed to support those interactions.
Working with an installer? Frame this as potential long-term value, since eligibility depends on the utility and location.
20. New Construction
For builders and buyers planning a new home with an electrical foundation that is ready for solar, batteries, EVs, and utility programs from the start.
WHAT THE SLC DOES
- Creates an energy-ready electrical platform from the beginning of the build.
- Supports future add-ons such as EV charging and battery storage with a more flexible electrical foundation.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU
Your new home is designed to grow with your energy needs rather than requiring expensive modifications later.
Working with an installer? A strong compliance and differentiation point for builder-facing proposals.
21. Upgrading an Existing Home
For existing homes adding solar, EV charging, battery storage, heat pumps, or backup power, where the panel needs to do more than it was originally designed to do.
WHAT THE SLC DOES
- Adds circuit-level intelligence and source management to an existing home.
- Supports phased upgrades by adding circuit-level intelligence to the home’s electrical system.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU
Your home can take on new energy systems at your own pace, without redoing the electrical infrastructure each time.
Working with an installer? Reframes the panel replacement conversation around long-term flexibility.
Not sure which use cases fit your home?
You do not need every use case for the Smart Load Center to be valuable. The right setup depends on your home, your energy goals, and what you may add later.
Planning a project with an installer? Use these scenarios to talk through which Smart Load Center features may be most relevant for your home.
